Midras 1 Raja-raja 1:36: Devarim Rabbah, Bamidbar Rabbah & Bereshit Rabbah

“It will be if you will heed the voice of the Lord your God to observe, to perform all His commandments that I am commanding you today, the Lord your God will place you uppermost over all the nations of the earth” (Deuteronomy 28:1).
Halakha – a person of Israel who was passing before the ark,¹He was serving as the prayer leader and reciting the communal Amida prayer. what is the ruling; is it permitted for him to answer amen after the priests?²After the priestly benediction. So the Sages taught:³Berakhot 34a. One who passes before the ark should not answer amen after the priests, due to confusion.⁴He will become confused and will not be able to continue praying properly. The Sages taught us: But if he is able to answer without becoming confused, he should answer. Why? It is because there is nothing greater before the Holy One blessed be He than the amen that Israel answers.
Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said: This amen has three connotations: Oath, acceptance, and faith. Oath, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “The priest administered an oath…and the woman said amen, amen” (Numbers 5:21–22). Acceptance, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “And the entire people will say amen” (Deuteronomy 27:16). Faith, from where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “Benayahu son of Yehoyada answered the king and said: Amen; and so may the Lord, [God of my lord the king], say” (I Kings 1:36).
Another matter: Anyone who answers amen in this world, will be privileged to answer amen in the future. Alternatively, Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Anyone who enters synagogues and study halls in this world will be privileged to enter synagogues and study halls in the World to Come. From where is it derived? It is as it is stated: “Happy are the dwellers in Your House; they will continue to praise You, Selah” (Psalms 84:5).
Another matter: Rabbi Yudan said: Anyone who hears the sound of Torah in this world will be privileged to hear the sound in whose regard it is written: “The sound of gladness and the sound of joy, the sound of a bridegroom and the sound of a bride…” (Jeremiah 33:11). Moses said to Israel: ‘Since everyone who hears matters of Torah is exalted in two worlds, be vigilant to hear matters of Torah.’ From where is it derived? It is from what is written regarding the matter: “It will be if you will heed the voice⁵“You will heed” could be written as tishma, but in the verse it is written as shamo’a tishma. of the Lord your God.”

“The priest shall administer to the woman the oath of the curse, and the priest shall say to the woman: May the Lord render you as a curse and as an oath among your people, in the Lord causing your thigh to fall and your belly to distend” (Numbers 5:21).
“The priest shall administer…the oath…” – from here it is derived that if the scroll was written before she accepted the oath upon herself, it is not valid, as first “[The priest] shall administer…the oath” is written, and then: “[The priest] shall write…[in a scroll]” (Numbers 5:23).
“The oath of the curse” – from here you derive regarding all the oaths in the Torah that they should be a curse and an oath. Since “oath” is stated in the Torah unaccompanied, and it specified in one of those instances that it is nothing other than a curse and an oath, I specify regarding all oaths in the Torah that they should be a curse and an oath. “The priest shall say to the woman: May the Lord render you” – since “oath” is stated in the Torah unaccompanied, and it specified in one of those instances that it is only with the name “the Lord,” I specify regarding all oaths in the Torah that they should be only with the name “the Lord.”
“As a curse [ala] and as an oath” – why is it stated? It is because it says elsewhere: “If he heard the sound of an ala” (Leviticus 5:1). I have derived only an ala; from where is it derived to render an oath like an ala? You deliberate: Ala is stated here and ala is stated elsewhere; just as in the case of ala that is stated here, it rendered an oath like a curse [ala], so too, in the case of ala that is stated elsewhere, it rendered an oath like an ala.
“As a curse and as an oath” – as all the women will curse in this manner: May what befell her befall you. “And as an oath”; as they will all take oaths in this manner: May what befell her befall me if I do not do such and such.
“Among your people” – but the people will be at peace. “Among your people” – but not among another people, as there is a difference between a person who is debased in a place with which one is familiar and a person who is debased in a place with which one is unfamiliar.
“In the Lord causing your thigh [to fall and your belly to distend]” – this is the women’s examination.
“This water that causes curse will enter your innards, to cause the belly to distend and the thigh to collapse; and the woman shall say: Amen, amen” (Numbers 5:22).
“[This] water that causes curse…[to cause the belly to distend and the thigh to collapse]” – Rabbi Yosei HaGelili says: This is the belly and thigh of the paramour. The verse tells that just as the punishment will be visited upon her, so the punishment will be visited upon him. The matters can be inferred a fortiori. If [for] the lesser attribute of punishment one who generates a sin for another is like him, all the more so [he would be like him] for the greater attribute of good.
“And the woman shall say: Amen, amen” – since oaths are stated in the Torah unaccompanied¹⁵⁷Answering "amen" is not mentioned with regard to other oaths that are administered. and it specified in one of those instances that it is only with amen, I specify regarding all oaths in the Torah that they should be only with amen. As, if you do not answer amen after the one administering the oath, you render his oath vain.
“Amen, amen” – from here it is derived that they extend the oath for her: Amen from this man, amen from another man. From here, you derive regarding all the oaths in the Torah that they extend it to include old matters upon them, this can be inferred a fortiori: If for the sota, who was not accused previously, her oath includes earlier events, [then for] robberies that had been claimed beforehand, is it not logical that one extends it to include old matters upon them.
“Amen” – that I was not defiled, and if I was defiled, may the curse come upon her.¹⁵⁸“Upon her” is a euphemism for “upon me.”
Rabbi Elazar in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra: Amen for acceptance; amen for an oath; amen, your statement is confirmed. Amen for acceptance from a sota: “And the woman shall say: Amen, amen.” Amen for an oath: “In order to fulfill the oath that I took [to your forefathers…and I said: Amen, Lord]” (Jeremiah 11:5). Your statement is confirmed: “Benayahu son of Yehoyada answered the king and said: Amen” (I Kings 1:36) – may the Lord confirm your words.

Another matter, “Jacob was very frightened and distressed” – Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai said: The fright and the distress are not the same.⁴It would have been enough to write one of them. One who fears, is in distress. Rather, he was frightened lest he kill, and distressed lest he be killed. He said: ‘If he overcomes me, he will kill me, and if I overcome him, I will kill him.’ That is: He was frightened lest he kill, and distressed lest he be killed. He said: ‘All these years, he [Esau] has been residing in the Land of Israel; say that he comes against me⁵Maybe he will be able to overcome me. by virtue of his residence in the Land of Israel. All these years, he has been residing and honoring his parents; say that he comes against me by virtue of his honoring father and mother, as so he said: “The days of mourning for my father will approach” (Genesis 27:41). Say that this old man died and he will come against me to kill me.’⁶This is another explanation for the distress of Jacob. The fear was of Esau, the distress was from the thought that maybe his father had died.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: This is what the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Return to the land of your fathers, to the land of your birth” (Genesis 31:3). Say that the stipulations⁷The stipulations that Jacob made when he departed for Padan Aram. See Genesis 28:20–22. were until here: “And He will protect me on this path” (Genesis 28:20), and not beyond that.⁸Maybe the promise for protection ended when he reached the land of his fathers. Rabbi Yudan said: The Omnipresent said to him: “Return to the land of your fathers,” but nevertheless, “Jacob was very frightened”? Rather, from here [we learn] that there is no promise to the righteous in this world.⁹Promises made are conditional on righteous behavior, thus the righteous may fear that they have sinned in such a way that they have lost the guarantee of protection that they received (Etz Yosef). Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: “Behold, I am with you” (Genesis 28:15); “if God will be with me”? (Genesis 28:20). Rather, from here [we learn] that there is no promise to the righteous in this world. Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Aḥa: “He said: For I will be with you” (Exodus 3:12) and nothing evil will harm you,¹⁰This is implied by the fact that God said that He would be with Moses. and it is written: “It was on the way, in the lodging, [the Lord encountered him and sought to kill him]” (Exodus 4:24). Rather, there is no promise to the righteous in this world.
Rabbi Pinḥas said in the name of Rabbi Ḥanin of Tzippori: “Benayahu son of Yehoyada answered the king and said: “Amen; and so may the Lord, God of my lord the king, say” (I Kings 1:36).¹¹This was said in responsed to David's decree to anoint Solomon as king. But is it not already stated: “Behold, a son is born to you, he will be a man of rest” (I Chronicles 22:9)¹²The son mentioned in the verse is Solomon. – rather, he said: ‘Many adversaries may arise from here to Giḥon.’